"A Murder In Milburn", Book 4: Death By Ice Cream (2 page)

“Relax, Tina.” Harvey smiled. “Sean’s just being a little uptight. I guess my comments about doing his job made him hyper-vigilant. He’s trying to shake an apology out of me.”

“I gave up on doing that a long time ago,” Sean said. “Go on, Dave. Handcuff him.”

“You have witnesses all around testifying that I threw a pan at a man who was potentially armed, and definitely dangerous. He looked capable of shooting people,” Harvey said. “Come on, Sean, you’re doing this for the ego trip.” He held his hands out in front of him, and allowed the Deputy to stick handcuffs on them. With a laugh, he turned to kiss Nora on the cheek. “Don’t mind him, darling. I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

Sean’s face was stormy as he turned to Nora. He looked a little guilty as he saw the anger in her eyes.

“If he’d only been a bit more polite. He keeps doing this. He keeps making cracks about me in public, undermining my legitimacy as sheriff,” Sean said in explanation.

“You’re doing the wrong thing, Sean, and you know it,” Nora said. “You’re a good man, but when it comes to Harvey you’re never quite in your senses. When will the two of you ever patch up? You’re half brothers after all!”

“I’m not related to that lizard!” Sean said, his voice rising.

“You know, we’re friends and I’m trying to be nice. But Harvey is my man, and if you call him a lizard again, I’m going to have to do something about it. Now play nice and let him free.”

“I’m going to have to ask him questions,” Sean said. “It’s my job.”

“You know it well,” Nora said. “But it’s not Harvey’s reputation you’re harming by putting him in the back of your patrol car. It’s your own!”

*****

Chapter 2

Nora’s words must have made Sean see sense, or perhaps he knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on. In an hour, Harvey was back at work, while Nora mulled whether she should shut down the diner for the day.

“No way I could work right now,” Tina told her. “My nerves are too frazzled.”

“Maybe so, but there are people coming in to check on us.” Nora smiled.

After spending three summers back in town, Nora had found herself relaxing into the routines of the town. Living in New York, she had found solace in the anonymity of the big city. She’d found excitement in the new cultures and the constant events or ideas that flowed through Manhattan.
 

But despite loving the city, she had never found her tribe. Being back home in the small town where she grew up was like going into the warm hug of a grandmother. It made her heart feel safe, and it stilled the voice in her head that had always asked, “Is this all there is?” in the big city. The meaning of life, after all, was found in simpler things - things like relationships, and good food.

Simone Smith walked in, followed by May Almand. On a normal day, May would spare no effort to make a snide comment about Nora. Today, however, there was genuine concern on her face.

“We heard all about it,” May said. “You poor dears! The shock to your nerves!”

“What was Sean thinking, honestly? It’s not like him to be so harsh,” Simone drawled.

“Harvey has a way of getting under his skin,” May said.

“I’d say that part of Sean’s job as sheriff is
not
to let anyone get under his skin,” Nora said, immediately defensive.

“Well, of course you’d think that,” May said. “But Harvey’s tried a lot to undermine Sean, including getting a deputy to campaign against him.”

Seeing Nora about to explode, Tina jumped in. “The point is, nobody was hurt. We’re thankful for that. It’s all thanks to Nora and Harvey.”

“Oh, yes,” Simone agreed. “Poor Nora. I heard he hurt you? You should go get checked up at the hospital.”

“I’m fine.” Nora smiled, putting a hand against her hip. “Just going to bruise up a bit.”

“Put some ice on it,” Simone suggested.

“Speaking of ice, Simone, how’s work at the factory?” Tina asked.

Simone’s face lit up. “Going good. We’re launching three new flavors next month. I’ve taste tested them extensively.”
 

“Yum. What are they?”

“Chilli-Vanilla, Tender Coconut, and Peppermint-Chocolate,” Simone said. “We’ve sourced the coconut from Sri Lanka, and the chillies from eastern India.”

Nora smiled. “I’m sure they’ll all be hits. I’m a bit of a traditionalist, so I’ll be sure to love your peppermint chocolate ice cream.”

“I hope so.” Simone smiled. “Bernard and I are very excited.”

Nodding, Nora mentally made a wish that they would succeed. May always rubbed Nora the wrong way, but Simone and her husband Bernard were people Nora admired intensely.
 

As the only son of a local rancher, Bernard Cabot had inherited his family’s ranch, with its thousand-strong herd and gorgeous views. He’d also inherited his mother’s good looks, with a roman nose, light blonde hair that he kept swept upwards off his face, and stormy blue eyes that could make women swoon and business opponents sweat. From his father, he’d inherited a generosity of spirit - his contributions to the town’s charities were well known. At only 16, Bernard had been the one to start a crusade to change the way local dairies treated their herd and introduce more free-range methods. Then, at 18, he’d gone off to study at the Sorbonne in Paris.

That’s where he’d met Simone, and it had been love at first sight. They were both meant for each other.
 

Simone was a typical Parisian beauty, and her sparkling blue eyes and light brown hair attracted many a man. Like any true Parisian, she always managed to look effortlessly chic, even now that she’d settled in Wyoming. At 40, she could outshine girls that were half her age if she really made an effort to dress up. Most of the time, however, she would be seen in dark leggings, and a boat-neck long-sleeved T-shirt.

When Simone had first started her ice-cream business, everyone had dismissed it as the “hobby” of a rich farmer’s wife. No one had made rude comments, but mentally, the townsfolk had thought of her as a bored woman who was trying to pass the time. Bernard, however had supported his wife fully, and taken pride in the unusual flavors of ice-cream she created, and her insistence on the purest ingredients, from full cream milk, to local berries. While she’d focussed on the taste and creation of the ice-cream, Bernard had worked on creating the right branding and packaging.
 

After five years of working on the brand, Simone had made a breakthrough when a nationwide supermarket agreed to stock some of her ice-creams. After that, their
Rancher’s Ice
brand had taken off, snowballing into a phenomenon, with celebrities as far as LA being caught taking photos with the iconic striped packs.

Even though they’d both become multi-millionaires, Simone and Bernard had chosen to live on in Milburn, reasoning that this was their true home.
 

“Actually, Nora,” Simone said. “Bernard and I were wondering if you and Harvey would like to come over for dinner today. I know you might just want to rest and forget about today, so it’s perfectly alright if you want to reschedule.”

“Oh. No. I’d actually love to,” Nora said. “I’ll have to ask Harvey about his schedule though.”

“Perfect.” Simone smiled. “May’s told me she’s busy tonight, but Tina, you and Sam are welcome to join us as well.”

“No thanks.” Tina shuddered. “All I want for company is a good book and some wine tonight.”

“We do have both those at our house in copious amounts,” Simone said with a laugh. “But I understand completely. As for you, Nora, you’re going to be rewarded for driving all the way out there. Outside of me and Bernard, you and Harvey will be our first taste testers!”
 

She looked like she was planning it all out in her mind, as she smiled at Nora. The smile was wiped off her face as a man with a shock of white hair appeared.

“Joe,” Simone said. “Good to see you.” She clearly didn’t mean it. “Ladies, this is Joe, He’s our foreman at the factory.”

“Hello, ladies. Simone.” Joe nodded at her. “Just came in to get myself some coffee. Bernard was looking for you at the factory.”

“Right. I’ll be off.” Simone nodded back at him. “See you tonight, all right Nora?”

“I’ll see you then!” Nora waved at her.

*****

Nora’s landlady Mrs. Mullally and Maynard, her golden retriever, both stood anxiously on the door step as Nora reached home.

“Mrs. M.” Nora gave her a warm smile and a hug. “How are you feeling now?” For the past few weeks, Mrs. Mullally had been feeling rather low and been confined to bed rest.
 

“All part of growing old.” She’d sighed. “Don’t you worry about it, Nora.”

But Nora had worried. After three years of renting a room in the cottage, Mrs. Mullally was like a mother to her. Once or twice, Mrs. Mullally had even tried to bring up compensation when Nora stayed at home to take care of her. Nora had reacted by refusing, asking Mrs. Mullally why she’d ever feel the need to pay Nora for what came naturally.

For once, though, it was Mrs. Mullally’s turn to fuss over her. “You poor dear!” Mrs. Mullally exclaimed as she and Nora walked to the kitchen. “What a terrible shock, having a gun pointed in your face!”

“It turned out to be a fake,” Nora said. “So there was no harm done.”

“Well, it may have been fake but you didn’t know it at the time,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Connie Ingress told me all about it. Terrible! What was the dispute about?”

“Well… I’m not sure. There was this great bully of a man named Sergio, and a woman named Tiffany. He looked like the kind of man who would be an abusive boyfriend. The clingy type who uses force to get a girl to stay. I just hope poor Tiffany is all right. She must have had a shock too, but I don’t know if Sean has seen her.

“Tiffany? Tiffany Jones? Oh, was she a pretty brunette with chocolate brown eyes?” Mrs. Mullally asked. “I know who that is.”

“You do?” Nora looked surprised. “Her hair was bleached blonde, but I suppose she could be the same person.”

“She was one of my students back in my high-school tenure,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Nasty piece of work, if you ask me. She was suspended three times for bullying others. There were rumors in the football team that she… well. Let’s just say she was the kind of girl who went to great lengths to attract attention. She was beautiful, though. A stunning girl. Until she opened her mouth and you caught a glimpse of the poison inside, it was very easy to be charmed by her.”

“Interesting,” Nora said. “I do remember that she was cursing at Sergio. He kept asking her where Joe was, and she refused to tell him.”

“Joe? Wonder who he is and what part he had to play in this.”

Nora shrugged. “I gathered he was one corner of an unpleasant triangle.”

Mrs. Mullally sighed. “When you’re a teacher, it’s often easy to see wave upon wave of children grow up and become adults, but you can always trace the good ones, and sometimes you can pinpoint exactly who’s going to do well in life, and who’s going to fail. I always hoped that my predictions about Tiffany would be untrue. It’s hard, when I think of how she once was.”

“I’m sure there’s every chance she’s going to be all right.” Nora smiled. “Maybe after this incident, her life will bounce upwards.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Mrs. Mullally sighed. “I remember the one time I had some sort of connection with her. I came early to class one day, and Tiffany was right there, crying in a corner. I asked her what the matter was, but instead of taking my help, she became belligerent. She accused me of gossiping about her, and said that she hated the whole school. Soon after, she dropped out. This was, oh, about fifteen years ago.”
 

Mrs. Mullally opened the fridge, taking out a loaf of fresh whole-grain bread, and some marmalade. “I tried so hard to reach every one of my kids, but there are some who have their own destinies, and it’s impossible to change them. Poor Tiffany. You know, Nora, if you run into her again, tell her I’d love to have her over for lunch someday.”

“Mrs. Mullally, I’m not sure that’s entirely wise,” Nora said. “You never know who she’s become in fifteen years, especially if she’s dealing with men like Sergio on a regular basis. There might be more to her than you suspect, and it might be best if you stayed out of her life.”

“Always so protective.” Mrs. Mullally smiled. “You’re a good girl, Nora.”
 

“For you? I try my hardest to be.” Nora smiled. “You’ve been wonderful to me, Mrs. M. You treated me like family from day one, and I sorely needed it.”

“Oh.” Mrs. Mullally blushed. “Go on now. Maynard needs a walk.”

Nora finished up her bread and jam, and with a whistle, had an excited Maynard bouncing up and down with joy. He gave a little woof of appreciation as she tied his leash around his collar, and rushed out of the house, dragging her behind him.

Unease pricked at the back of Nora’s neck, as she thought of the events of this morning. Sergio might be in police custody now, but if he should eventually get out, what would happen then? Would he want revenge on those who had caused him to be imprisoned?

Why had he been so angry, anyway? Had Tiffany been cheating on him? Nora remembered how Tiffany had said, “You have no guts, Sergio.” That had changed him. That challenge to his manhood had made him pull out the gun.